A vote on the controversial Far North Act will have to wait at least another day.
Bill 191, which is also referred to as the Far North Act, was expected to pass a third reading at Queen’s Park in Toronto Wednesday afternoon. But after hours of debate the vote was deferred to Thursday.
The Ontario government says Bill 191 will provide community based land-use planning in the Far North that directly involves First Nations in the planning process. But a vocal opposition has blasted the act, saying it gives the province too much power and could actually limit both development and First Nation involvement in the economic development of the Far North.
"The act doesn’t include a new relationship, it cements the old one where First Nations people are treated like a ward of the state," said MPP Howard Hampton (NDP, Kenora – Rainy River) during the Queen’s Park debate Wednesday.
Hampton likened the bill to residential school legislation, saying that both were examples of government acting intellectually and morally superior to First nations people.
Meanwhile, before the debate even began MPP Gilles Bisson ( NDP, Timmins – James Bay) hosted a news conference at the legislature alongside First Nations leaders who have vocally opposed to the bill. They said the government has moved ahead with protecting 50 per cent of the land in the remote north without their blessing, and are promising that conflict and unrest are imminent if the bill passes.
Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey delivered a 25-minute speech defending the need for the Far North Act. She said the bill provides a much-needed framework for land-use planning in the North.
Back inside the legislature MPP David Orazietti (Lib., Sault Ste. Marie) threw criticism back at members of the opposition, saying they have been unwilling to offer solutions to the perceived problems with the bill.
"The opposition made no proposed amendments to (the Far North Act)," he said. "They’ve offered no constructive solutions. Lets not twist this bill out of context … this bill is about land-use planning."
